Festival Charity

Breast Cancer Care is delighted to be the charity partner for the Manchester Beer and Cider Festival for the second year running.

Breast Cancer Care is the only specialist UK wide charity providing support for women, men, family and friends affected by breast cancer.

We’ve been caring for them, supporting them, and campaigning on their behalf since 1973.

Today, we continue to offer a unique range of support including reliable information, one-to-one support over the phone and online from nurses and people who’ve been there. We also offer local group support within the Greater Manchester area, running support services in five Greater Manchester boroughs; Stockport, Tameside, Salford, Bolton and Wythenshawe. From the moment someone notices something isn’t right, through to their treatment and beyond, we’re there to help people affected by breast cancer feel more in control.

Breast cancer changes everything. Breast Cancer Care understands the emotions, challenges and decisions people face every day. They know that everyone’s experience is different. That’s why they are there to offer support and information and campaign for better care.

Every year, 60,000 people in the UK are told they have breast cancer, and every year more than 11,500 women die from it. It’s the most common cancer affecting women in the UK today, with 1 in 8 receiving a breast cancer diagnosis in a lifetime and one person newly diagnosed every ten minutes.

It’s vital that Breast Cancer Care’s services remain free; they’re a lifeline for the growing number of women coping with one of the most difficult challenges they will ever face. We would like to thank you in advance for supporting Breast Cancer Care at the Manchester Beer and Cider Festival and please come and visit our charity stand located within the festival hall.

Breast Cancer Care will be running a raffle, quiz and other games from the stand, as well as collecting festival glasses as a donation to the charity. We have a number of volunteers within the festival hall selling programmes and also a team of bucket collectors, so please donate generously.

If you have any questions about breast cancer or Breast Cancer Care please do visit our stand to speak to a member of staff or alternatively call our free helpline on 0808 800 6000.

Finally, we would like to thank the festival organisers for giving Breast Cancer Care the opportunity to be present at Manchester Beer and Cider Festival and we hope you all have a brilliant time and enjoy the event!

The Manchester Beer and Cider Festival has chosen Breast Cancer Care as the official charity for 2016 and 2017.

Manchester’s biggest beer festival from 20 – 23 January 2016, will see over 13,000 people descend upon Manchester Central, to taste some of the best beers, ciders and perries from the UK and Europe. As part of the event, Breast Cancer Care will be raising funds and promoting local services for people affected by breast cancer.

Throughout Greater Manchester, Breast Cancer Care supports anyone facing breast cancer through a variety of services, such as their Moving Forward courses at Salford Royal Hospital and Wythenshawe Hospital.

Penny Berisford, from Stockport, helps facilitate the Moving Forward course and will volunteer at the Festival, says: “Breast Cancer Care was there for me when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I phoned the Helpline several times – they answered questions when I couldn’t speak to the medical staff or my breast care nurse. They really helped to allay any fears that I had about treatment.

“Since then, volunteering has been a rewarding experience and I love getting out in the community and telling people about the charity. I feel it’s important for me to help as all the money raised will go towards helping women who, like me, are facing breast cancer. Just to be able to tell one more person about Breast Cancer Care, will mean that one more person will not have to face breast cancer alone.”

Anna Foley, Community Fundraiser at Breast Cancer Care says: “We are incredibly grateful for the support of CAMRA and the festival organisers. Not only will this event help us to raise money for Breast Cancer Care’s vital services, it will also help ensure more people know we are here for anyone facing breast cancer. Whether it is your Mum, sister, aunt or uncle, we provide care, support and information from day one.”

Festival Organiser Graham Donning says: “Our visitors are attracted by the opportunity to sample some of the best beers in Britain, but we know they are also a generous lot. From a long list of charities, I’m pleased our organising team chose Breast Cancer Care as our charity partner. Their support will improve the festival experience, and swell the number of volunteers involved in staging this major event.”

Over 500 British beers, ciders and perries will be available to enjoy in the main hall, alongside foreign beers from Europe and further afield.

Organisers are anticipating bigger crowds than 2015’s record-breaking attendance. Advance tickets are available from the festival website, www.mancbeerfest.uk and its Facebook page.

In line with the NHS guidelines Breast Cancer Care recommends women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, no more than three units in any one day, and have at least two alcohol-free days a week. Men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol per week, no more than four units in any one day, and have at least two alcohol-free days a week.

About Breast Cancer Care:

When you have breast cancer, everything changes. Time becomes measured in appointments. The next scan. The next results. The next challenge.

At Breast Cancer Care, we understand the emotions, challenges and decisions you face every day. So, from the day you notice something’s not right to the day you begin to move forward, we’ll be here to help you through.

Whether you want to speak to our nurses, download our specialist information or connect with volunteers who have faced what you are facing now, we can help you feel more in control.

For care, support and information from day one, call our nurses free on 0808 800 6000 or visit www.breastcancercare.org.uk.

About MBCF

The 2015 festival attracted nearly 11,500 visitors who enjoyed almost 39,000 pints of cask ale and 4,000 pints of cider and perry.

More than 300 CAMRA members volunteer to set up and serve at the festival.

Manchester Beer & Cider Festival is pleased to have helped Henshaws Society for Blind People raise almost £7000 over their two year association with the festival.

Looking further ahead, MBCF is looking for a new charity partner and is inviting applications from charities who wish to benefit from a similar association for the 2016 and 2017 events. The chosen charity will be offered a free promotional stall and free rein to collect loose change from customers at the event which is expected to attract in around 12,000 visitors. They will also be promoted on the festival website, posters, flyers and in the festival programme.

At such a large event, there are plentiful other opportunities for fundraising which could also add value to the festival customer experience. Those organisations submitting innovative ideas for additional activities will be looked upon favourably by the organisers.

Although charities are encouraged to seek their own sponsors, if required, the festival sponsorship manager will assist the chosen charity in obtaining a sponsor for their time at the festival.

Any successful applicant would be expected to provide sufficient Volunteers to run 2 cloakrooms as well as sell programmes to the public from various locations within the Venue. The successful applicants will receive a share of the income from the aforementioned along-with any other finances they can raise from members of the public with collection boxes etc.

Charities are invited to contact the festival organiser outlining their charitable aims, the number of volunteers they would expect to assist the festival, examples of similar events they have participated in and suggestions for activities which they would be willing to run. Applications should be sent to organiser (at) mancbeerfest.uk by no later than 1st March 2015.